Greek Lemon-Rice Soup (Avgolemono)

Cook the chicken: Combine the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the salt, and the pepper in a small bowl, then rub the mixture all over the chicken. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 9- or 10-inch lidded skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook, trying not to move it, until golden on the bottom, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium, carefully add ¼ cup of the chicken broth, quickly cover the skillet, and cook another 5 minutes. Uncover, flip the chicken, add the remaining ¼ cup broth, cover again, and cook until the chicken is white all the way through when cut, about another 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool, uncovered, until easy to handle. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken right in the skillet with its juices and cover to keep warm.

Make the soup: Heat the olive oil over medium low heat in a 4-quart Dutch oven. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and very lightly golden (you don’t want dark edges here), 9 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 additional minute.

Add the chicken broth and salt, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then stir in the rice and return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer vigorously, stirring once in a while, until the rice is cooked and the soup thickens, about 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, whisk the eggs and lemon juice in a medium bowl until blended.

Scoop 2 cups of the hot soup from the Dutch oven and, very slowly at first and whisking constantly, add it to the lemon-egg mixture (this prevents the eggs from scrambling), until the mixture is warmed and all 2 cups of soup are incorporated. Pour the mixture into the Dutch oven, stirring as you do, then add the chicken and pan juices to the pot and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to warm through. Remove from the heat and add the oregano, season to taste with additional salt, and divide among bowls. Garnish with dill and some ground pepper.